


Making My Father Proud

by GinnyK



Series: The World Turned Upside Down [10]
Category: Bull (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cute Kids, office life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-18 19:01:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16522814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GinnyK/pseuds/GinnyK
Summary: It's Andy's first visit to TAC





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> When I decided to take this little series in to an alternate universe I knew sooner or later we would reach the point where a true post ep story would be impossible. Since in my little world Greg does not exist, we're reached that point.
> 
> As soon as I created the character of Andy, Alex's little brother I knew he'd need to make a visit to TAC.

“ALEX!!”

“Hey buddy, what’s up?” Alex asked as Andy came into the room carrying a wide assortment of things, his backpack, three shirts, two bowties, a mismatched pair of sneakers and half a banana he was eating.  Andy tossed everything but the banana on Alex’s bed and sat down next to the pile.

“What should I wear and what should I pack?”

“Pack? You’re going to TAC for one day,” Alex teased.

“Alllleexxx,” Andy whined.

“Clothes first. Okay, what pants are you wearing?” Alex asked as he realized Andy was taking his visit to TAC very seriously and apparently wanted to make a good impression.

“Khaki pants, Mom ironed them before she went to choir.”

“Okay, how about the denim shirt and this Captain America bowtie that mom made for you?” Alex offered as he shook out the shirt and laid it out on the bed with the bowtie, much like Chunk laid out outfits on the table in his office.

“Blue Converse?” Andy asked as he put the blue sneaker next to the outfit and tossed the black one on the end of the bed.

“Perfect.” Alex announced.

“Okay what do I pack?” Andy asked as he sat down on the bed and set the backpack next to him.

“You don’t need much.  How about a book, iPod and your video game?” Alex suggested as he turned around his desk chair and sat down, straddling it. “And don’t forget the earbuds, nobody on the bus wants to hear your game, or Hamilton,” Alex teased.

Andy just rolled his eyes at his older brother. “What about snacks?”

“Believe me, you don’t need to pack any snacks.  TAC has this huge kitchen with more snacks than you’ve ever seen in one place.”

“Really?” Andy asked, wide eyed with a huge grin on his face.

“Yep.  Okay, we’re getting up early tomorrow.  Go put on your pajamas, Mom will be home from choir soon.  Take the stuff you’re not wearing. I’ll put the stuff for tomorrow in our bathroom, it might stay unwrinkled that way,” Alex teased.

“Okay,” Andy said as he slid off the bed and threw his backpack over one shoulder, He grabbed the two shirts, tie and black sneaker which didn’t make the cut.  “Good night,” he called over his shoulder as he started to head down the hall.

“A ‘good night’ over the shoulder, that’s all I get?” Alex teased as stood up and turned the chair back around.  Andy scooted back into the room and gave his brother a quick hug with his free arm.  Alex smoothed down the boy’s unruly curls and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

******

Liz watched with amusement as her boys stood in the kitchen the next morning getting ready for their big day.  Alex was standing at the Keurig, willing it to brew faster while Andy sat on the bottom step tying his blue high-top Converse sneakers.

“Andy remember,  I won’t be home tonight.  I’m going to a concert with Nanny and I’ll spend the night at her house.”

“I remember.  What about dinner, can Alex and I get pizza?” he asked as he stood up and straightened out the bottom of his khaki pants.

Liz shot a knowing look in Alex’s direction.   “Uh sure, pizza sounds just fine,” she assured her younger son.  With the coffee done she put in a hot chocolate pod for Andy before hunting through the cabinet for a third travel mug.  Unable she find one, she decided she would just let Andy use hers.  She could stop at Wawa for coffee on the way to work.

“Dad would be so proud of both of you,” Liz said with a smile as she pulled both her boys in for a quick hug. Ten minutes and a few pictures later, she watched her them head down the front steps into the early morning darkness.  In matching backpacks and similar outfits, they were the spitting image of their father.  She took a quick picture of them from behind and headed back in to finish getting ready for work.

Alex had a faint hope that Andy would sleep on the bus ride into the city as he usually did.  That didn’t happen but the boy was content to listen to music, drink his hot chocolate and watch the sights from the New Jersey Turnpike.

Andy had been to the city a few times but not much since their Dad had died.  The city was not their mom’s favorite place.  Liz was known to say “if I’m going to the city I’d better be going to a Broadway show.”  So when they stepped out of Port Authority and into rush hour in Manhattan, Andy took his brother’s hand.

*****

Alex had texted Marissa when they entered the building, she wanted to meet them at the elevator.  Andy’s eyes were wide and his mouth hanging open just a little as they crossed the ground floor lobby and got on the elevator.

The doors slid open on the main floor of TAC.  “Wow, cool,” Andy muttered as Alex gave him a little nudge to get him to move.

“Morning Alex,” Marissa said with a smile.  “You must be Andy,” she said as she held out her hand to the mini-me version of Bull’s assistant.  “I’m Marissa.”

Andy shook her hand and after a nudge from his brother, he found his voice.  “Hi,” he said shyly as he looked around the TAC office, completely enthralled already and he’d barely made it into the lobby.

“Where’s your desk?” Andy asked.

“Right over there,” Alex pointed in the direction of his desk and Bull’s office.  “Is he in yet?” Alex asked Marissa.

“Yeah, he’s in his office, caffeinating himself, I’m sure,” Marissa said with a smile. “Hey Andy, why don’t you come with me.  I think you need an ID tag,” Marissa offered.  Andy looked at his brother who gave him a little smile.  Alex took Andy’s backpack and now empty travel mug and headed for his desk.  He turned on his computer and printed out Bull’s calendar.

“Morning Bull,” he said as he pushed the glass door open and walked into his boss’ office.

“Morning,” Bull said with a little mock salute of his coffee mug.  “Where’s Andy?”

“With Marissa, apparently she thinks he needs an ID badge for the day.  Thanks for letting him spend the day here.  I promise I’ll keep him out of your hair.  He brought some stuff to keep him busy.”

“Out of my hair? Oh no, the kid’s spending lots of time with me today,” Bull said with a grin as he finished his coffee in a single gulp.

“Are you sure, he asks an awful lot of questions,” Alex warned.

“Kind of like you during your first few months here?” Bull snorted.

“Yeah,” Alex agreed with a snort of his own.

 

“Go ahead in and meet the Boss,” Marissa said from the doorway where she was standing with Andy who was wearing his newly printed TAC picture ID and grinning from ear to ear.

“Come on in, Andy,” Bull said as he stepped out from behind his desk to greet his young visitor.  “Alex, Marissa can you gather everyone in the mock courtroom for a quick meeting.  I’ll bring Andy in,” Bull said as he held out his hand to Andy. Marissa and Alex headed out to gather the troops.

“Dr. Jason Bull, nice to meet you.”

“Hi, I’m Andy.  This place is really cool Dr. Bull,” Andy said excitedly as he went over to the window to admire the view.

“I think so too.  Did Marissa give you a little tour?”

“A little one.  She said you would show me the really cool stuff.  I didn’t see the kitchen. Alex said you have snacks. I was too excited to eat breakfast,” Andy explained with a shrug of his shoulders.

“I think we can stop by the kitchen.  Did you bring a book or something?”

“Yep, Alex helped me pack.”

“Good, let’s grab the book and get something to eat.”

Andy got his book out of his backpack and the pair headed for the kitchen.  Bull helped him find the mini chocolate donuts Marissa had hidden and a carton of milk.  Andy took both with a grin and Bull grabbed a few napkins, some for Andy and one for himself to wipe away the evidence of the donut he’d just eaten.

******

At just 9 years old, Andy didn’t understand much of the brief team meeting but he did think the mock courtroom was interesting.  Bull took him on a tour of the rest of the office after the meeting. Andy was mesmerized as he stood in the middle of the War Room and nothing was even going on at the time, the monitors were dark and only a few people were in the room.  Bull promised Andy he could spend time with Marissa in the War Room later in the day.

After the tour Andy sat with Alex for a little while but was quickly bored watching his brother answer the phone and emails.  He played with the fidget spinner and Thinking Putty Alex kept on his desk.  Both were usually played with by Bull.  Chunk was in with Bull talking about witness prep for an upcoming case.  The stylist came out of the office and looked in Andy’s direction.

“How about you come with me and check out my office.  It’s more interesting than your brother’s desk,” Chunk offered.  Andy slid off the chair, but the putty back in the tin and put the tin and the fidget spinner in the bowl in the desk.

“Remember your manners,” Alex said as his brother walked away.

“I will,” Andy called over his shoulder.

Chunk showed Andy the portfolio he’d shown Alex on his first day.  The little guy was pretty perceptive. More than once, Alex had described his little brother as an old soul.  After spending 15 minutes with the boy, Chunk was in agreement with that assessment.

They spent some time looking at clothes and talking about fashion.  Even at the tender age of 9,  Andy was clearly more interested in fashion than his older brother.    Andy matched some shirts and ties under the watchful eye of Chunk.

Chunk’s phone rang and Andy took a seat in the adjustable chair in front of the mirror spinning himself around a few times while he waited for Chunk to return. 

“Sorry about that,” Chunk said as he spun Andy back around to face the mirror.  He raised the chair a little so Andy could better see his reflection.  “Did you get your curls from Mom or Dad?” Chunk asked as he reached for a little tub of hair product, rubbing a little between his palms.

“Dad,  but he’s dead,” Andy answered sadly.

“I know, Alex told us,” Chunk said as he ran his hands through the boy’s hair, taming the dark curls just a bit.

“Mom says he’d be proud of me and Alex.”

“I’m sure he is proud of both of you.  Alex worked hard in school and look at this really cool place he works.  And I heard you’ve been doing really well in school too,” Chunk said as he reached around and put a finger under Andy’s chin, raising it little so he could meet the boy’s eyes in the mirror.

“Better than last year,” Andy said quietly.  “Mom made me go to the doctor and I have to go to the counselor and I have to take medicine.”

Chunk spun the chair around and crouched down a little to look his new friend in the eye. “But it all helps, right?” he asked.

Andy nodded and launched himself off the chair and into Chunk’s arms, just about knocking the former football player off balance.  Chunk returned the hug and he rubbed the boy’s back.

“Hey, I have something for you,” Chunk said as he stood up, wiping a hand over his face.  “Look in there, hanging off the rack of clothes,” he said, pointing to the rack holding Bull’s two spare suits and white shirts.

Andy grabbed the garment bag and set it down on the couch, carefully unzipping it.  Inside he found two plaid shirts, a bowtie, a regular tie, TAC hoodie and a navy vest, much like the one Bull was wearing that day.

“Are these for me?” Andy asked as he ran his hands over each piece.

“Well, do you see anyone else your size around here?” Chunk teased.

“Thanks,” Andy said with a quick hug.  “Does the vest go with my outfit?” he asked as he pulled it off the hanger.

“Goes great with your bowtie.  Did Mom make it?” Chunk guessed, the tie was clearly not store bought and he knew their mom sewed.  Andy nodded as he handed the vest to Chunk.  He slipped it over the boy’s shoulders, buttoned the top two buttons and straightened his bowtie. 

“You little man look awesome,” Benny announced from the doorway of Chunk’s office. 

“Thanks, Benny,” Andy said as he put his new clothes back in the garment bag and zipped it up.

“You ready Chunk, we need to be at the meeting in half an hour,” Benny said, glancing at his watch.

“You going to court?” Andy asked excitedly.

“Nope, not today,” Benny answered.  “Maybe next time you visit,” he said as he saw the disappointed look on Andy’s face.  Andy’s smile returned at the thought of being able to visit again.  “But I think Dr. Bull is going to be prepping a witness in the mock court room later.”

“Cool,” Andy answered.  He grabbed the garment bag, gave quick fist bumps to Chunk and Benny before heading to find Alex.

 

“Hey buddy, what’s in the bag?” Alex answered as Andy walked over to his desk.

“Cool clothes from Chunk.  How did he know what size I am?” Andy asked.

“I told him.  He wanted to have some stuff for you when you got here,” Alex explained.

“Hey Andy, come on in here,” Bull called.  “Bring the clothes.”

“Go,” Alex said with a grin.

Andy went in and proudly showed off his new clothes to Bull, including the vest he was currently wearing.

“So, should we go out for lunch or raid the fridge in the kitchen?” Bull asked, ready to do whichever Andy picked.

Andy took a minute and thought about his options.  “I think we should stay here.  Let’s raid the fridge.”

He took Bull by the hand and led him into the kitchen to check out the lunch situation.  They ended up with sandwiches, chips and sodas.  The kitchen was fairly crowded so they took their food back to Bull’s office.  Alex was going to join them but Marissa called him into her office.

Bull and his new friend settled down on the couch in his office.  Bull rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt, as he usually did before eating lunch.  Andy tried to do the same but was having a little trouble so Bull offered a hand, which Andy accepted with a huge smile. They ate and got to know each other a little better.  Andy was surprisingly open about the issues he had with ADD and the fact that he met with a therapist weekly and had some extra help at school. 

They moved on from talking about school to talking about TAC.  Andy had a pretty good foundation of what the company did, or at least a young boy’s version of it.  Bull could see Alex was completely right about the boy being wise beyond his years.  When their sandwiches were done Andy went back into the kitchen to grab some cookies.  While he was getting the treats, Bull kicked off his shoes, curled up on the couch and picked up a case file to take a look at while he “rested”.

“Here.  I had to sneak them, Marissa said you weren’t allowed to have cookies,” Andy said as he handed Bull a chocolate chip cookie.

“Yeah, she watches my diet since my heart attack,” Bull explained with a smirk.

“Is she your girlfriend?” ‘Andy asked curiously as he took a bite of his cookie.

“Marissa? No, she’s not my girlfriend,” Bull said, a little thrown off by the boy’s question.   “We’re best friends.  I actually don’t have a girlfriend right now.”

“Me either,” Andy announced with a straight face.  “So, what are you doing after lunch?”

“Uh, well, since my heart attack Marissa likes me to rest for a little while after lunch.  Or at least on the days I eat lunch here at the office.  So, I’m going to sit here for a little bit, read and to be honest, I’ll probably fall asleep.”

“That doesn’t sound too exciting,” Andy declared.

“No, it’s not exciting at all,” Bull agreed with a laugh.  He looked up to see Marissa in the doorway and wondered how long she’d been watching the pair.

“Does some time in the War Room sound more interesting?” Marissa asked.

“Much,” Andy answered.  “Sorry Bull, I’m only here for a day, I’m not wasting time on a nap,” Andy teased.  With a quick fist bump he slid off the couch and took off for the War Room.

“I’ll be right there, don’t touch anything,” Marissa called over her shoulder.

“That is one awesome kid,” Bull said as he turned his attention back to his file. 

“He sure is,” Marissa agreed as stood in the doorway.  “Loved the girlfriend question,” she teased, leaving the room before Bull could respond.

 

“Alex, wake me in an hour,” Bull called, pretty sure he was going to fall asleep.

“No problem.”


	2. Chapter 2

When Marissa made it to the War Room Andy was bouncing on his feet, standing in front of the bank of monitors.  To his credit he had not touched anything but boy was he itching to do something with the computer in front of him.

“Okay sweetie, pull up a chair,” Marissa said as she set her tablet down on the table.

Andy got a rolling chair and moved it next to her.  She gave him a hand raising the seat up a little so he could reach everything.

Over the next hour she gave simple explanations to Andy about mock juries, algorithms, how she communicated with Bull through the coms.  She even put a com in Andy’s ear and sent him out in the bullpen to try it out. 

He came back into the War Room and handed Marissa the com.   “That was cool,” he announced as he slid back onto his chair.  After he told Marissa he’d learned to type in computer class at school she let him add some names into the roster of mirror jurors for the next case. 

Andy was in his glory, carefully typing away when Alex came in to check on him.  “How’s he doing?” Alex asked as he ruffled his brother’s hair a bit before going to the back of the room where Marissa was sitting at a table with one eye on her tablet and one eye on the bank of monitors.

“He is doing great.  Wise beyond his years is the conclusion we’ve all come to,” Marissa said.  “He’s really bright Alex.  I know he has some issues but he really is something.”

“Yeah, he is. Can be quite a handful too,” he said, just loud enough that he could be heard across the room.

“I’m telling Mom,” Andy called over his shoulder.

“She already knows,” Alex teased right back.  “Finish up in here.  I’m going to wake Bull up and I know he wants to take you into the mock courtroom for some witness prep.”

“A real witness?” Andy asked.

“Yep, as real as they come.  But you need to sit quietly and listen to Dr. Bull.”

“I can do that,” Andy said with a grin as he turned his attention back to his list of names.

*****

“Bull…Bull…Jason, naptime is over,” Alex called from the doorway.  His boss started to stir, wiping a hand over his face.   “You want coffee?” Alex asked, unnecessarily.

“Please,” he muttered as he pushed himself up to standing and headed for the bathroom.

When Alex returned with two cups of coffee a few minutes later he stood in the doorway, watching his boss pace around the office trying to wake up completely and gain a little semblance of time and space.  It was the same scenario that played out most days when Bull actually took Marissa’s advice and rested after lunch.  Alex walked into the room when Bull noticed he was being watched.

“Thanks,” Bull said as he took the coffee from his assistant. He took a sip and set it down on the desk so he could roll the sleeves of his dress shirt back down.  “Where’s Andy?”

“War Room with Marissa.  She’s letting him type names of mirror jurors into the database.”

“She doesn’t even let me do that,” Bull muttered.

“You’re not 4 feet tall with curls and puppy dog eyes,” Alex teased.

“True, much taller and no curls.  And to be honest my puppy dog eyes haven’t worked so well on Marissa lately.”

“Nope,” Alex agreed, not encouraging any further conversation on the topic as Bull had less than half an hour to spend with Andy before their witness arrived.  He picked up Bull’s suit jacket and held it out so his boss could slip his arms in.  “Do something with your hair, please,” Alex teased.  Bull reached to smooth it down a little.  Alex handed him the coffee, the file and his laptop before sending him on his way to the mock courtroom.

His little visitor was standing at the door to the mock courtroom, peering in.  Andy had a can a Dr. Pepper in his hand and his backpack thrown over one shoulder.

“Hey, have a nice nap?” Andy teased as he saw Bull round the corner and walk towards him.

“Ow, that hurts,” he muttered as he did his best to look wounded.  “Go ahead in.”

Andy pushed the door open, holding it for Bull.  He’d seen the room earlier in the day but hadn’t had the chance to really explore at all.  Bull set up his things on the defendant’s table while Andy wandered around.

“So the judge sits up there?” Andy asked, pointing the large fabric backdrop with the image of the Judge’s bench printed on it.

“Yep, and the witness sits here,” Bull said as he pointed to the witness box.  “Climb up there, I’ll take your picture.”

Andy climbed into the box and sat on the edge of the seat.  Bull clicked a few pictures, some serious and some not so much.  Bull explained where the defense and the prosecution teams sat in the courtroom. 

“So I guess the jury sits there?” Andy guess as he headed for the jury box.

“Yep, jury foreman sits at the end.  That’s the one who gets to read the verdict at the end of the trial. Go ahead and try out the seat.”

Andy sat in the jury box, posing again for a few pictures.  He looked around, clearly a million questions swimming around in his little head.  “Who asks the questions?”

“Of the witnesses?” Bull asked.  Andy nodded as he climbed out of the jury box and took a seat at the defendant’s table.  “For the most part Benny questions the witness.  But he’s out at a meeting with Chunk so I’m going to do it for prep.  Did Marissa show you how the coms work?” he asked, pointing towards his left ear.

“She even let me try one.  It was too big for my ear though, so I had to hold it in a little.  But I could hear her and I was all the way in the bullpen.  It was very cool.”

“It is cool,” Bull agreed as he heard the door open.  He looked up to find Marissa ushering in their witness Michael Hoffman, who was also the defendant.  Bull made some quick introductions and asked Michael’s permission for Andy to watch. 

Andy took a seat at the prosecution table with his backpack and his soda.  He watched for a few minutes, paying more attention to the man asking the questions that the content of those questions.  He eventually pulled out a small sketch pad and some colored pencils.  He enjoyed drawing and did have a fair amount of natural talent.  He drew the scene he saw in front of him, Michael in the witness box and Bull standing in front of the bench.

“Hey Andy?” Bull asked about half an hour in to his prep session.  “Can you go see if Benny is in his office.”

“Sure,” Andy answered as he slid off the chair.  He crossed the bullpen when he suddenly realized he didn’t know where Benny’s office was.  He found Alex at his desk.

“Where’s Benny’s office, Bull is looking for him.”

“Next to Marissa’s.  You know where that is?”

Andy just nodded as he took off running across the bullpen, almost running into Danny in the process.

By the time Benny and Bull were done prepping Michael, Andy was ready for a change of scenery.  He packed everything into his backpack and headed back to Andy’s desk.

“Hey bud, prep done?” Alex asked as he Andy reached for the fidget spinner.

“Yeah.  Can I help with anything?” he asked as he looked around.

“Sure have to make up some packets for a meeting next week.  Can you grab me a can of Sprite and meet me in the conference room right next to the War Room.”

Andy nodded and took off towards the kitchen. 

For the next hour Andy and Alex assembled some informational packets.  Bull eventually wandered in about 4:30, looking for his new little friend.

“Hey Andy, can you come in my office for a few minutes?”  Bull met Alex’s gaze and gave the young man a wink.

“Can I?” Andy asked as he set a folder on top of the pile.

“Of course, when the boss calls, you go,” Alex said with a grin.  He watched as his brother and his boss walked away from him.  Halfway across the room Andy tucked his little hand in Bull’s.  Alex grabbed his phone off the table and was able to take a quick picture.

“So any big plans for tonight?” Bull asked Andy as the boy moved to stand by the window to admire the view. 

“Mom is at Nanny’s house.  Alex and I are ordering pizza for dinner when we get home,” Andy announced as he climbed up to sit on the wide ledge of the window behind Bull’s desk.  Bill leaned against his desk, facing the boy.

“That sounds fun.”

“What are you doing?”

“Probably working late, if Marissa lets me.  You see, she likes me to go home at a reasonable hour since my heart attack.  But pizza sounds good.  How about you and Alex stay late and we’ll order pizza here?  We can eat dinner in the War Room,” Bull offered.

“Sounds good to me but we’ll have to ask Alex.”

“I have an idea of what you can do tonight, before you go home,” Bull said with a little mysterious edge to his voice.

“Like what?” Andy asked as he turned sideways and pulled his feet up on the ledge, hugging his shins.  Bull took the opportunity to grab an envelope out of his desk drawer.  He took a seat next to Andy’s feet and handed it to him.

“Why’s my name on this?” he asked.

“I guess it’s for you.  Why don’t you open it,” Bull said as he glanced at his door, Alex and Marissa were both watching but Andy hadn’t noticed either of them. 

Andy ripped the envelope open and pulled out a smaller envelope with a very familiar logo on it.  His eyes lit up and with little shaking hands he pulled out two tickets.

“Are these for me?” he asked waving the tickets around a little.

“They are for you and Alex.  Somebody told me you were a big Hamilton fan,” Bull said.

Andy set the tickets down behind him and launched himself into Bull’s lap, arms coming around his neck, nearly sending both of them crashing to the floor.  “Thank you, thank you,” Andy said, suddenly remembering his manners.

“You are more than welcome,” Bull said as the boy untangled himself from Bull’s arms.  Bull ruffled his hair and Andy slid off the ledge.

“Hey, what’s going on in here?” Alex asked from the doorway.  Andy flew across the room, waving the tickets at his brother.

“We’re going to see Hamilton tonight.  Bull got us tickets,” he exclaimed as he all but danced around the room.  “Can we call mom and tell her?”

“Sure, my phone is on my desk, you can Facetime her,” Alex said as Andy was already out the door.

“Thank you again, that was very, very generous,” Alex said as he shook Bull’s hand.

“It is my pleasure.  The look on his face is more than thanks enough.  That is one great kid.  You and your mom should be proud.”

“We are and so is Dad,” Alex answered as he gave a little glance towards the heavens.

“As I said to Andy earlier, your Dad is very proud of both of you.”

“Thanks.”

“By the way, my driver will take you to the theater and drive you home later.  Don’t even argue,” Bull said with a laugh.

“Okay,” Alex said before leaving Bull and Marissa alone.

*******

“Mom already knew about the tickets,” Andy said as Alex left Bull’s office and took a seat back at his desk.

“Yes, she did.  We both did but we wanted to surprise you.”

“I sure was surprised,” Andy replied with a grin.  “Can we still get pizza for dinner?” he asked.

Alex just laughed and assured him he would get his pizza.

******

At a few minutes before 6:00 Andy, Alex, Bull, Marissa, Benny and Chunk were gathering at the large table in the War Room.  The pizza had just been delivered and Chunk was passing out slices.  Marissa got up to grab drinks.  She came back with 4 beers and 2 cans of Coke, setting the sodas in front of Bull and Andy and passing out the beer to the others.

“She doesn’t let you have beer either?” Andy asked, a little louder than he realized. The others laughed while Bull tried to look hurt.  At least she didn’t set a beer down in front of me, he thought to himself.

All enjoyed the pizza and each other’s company for a little while.

While Benny and Chunk cleaned up, Alex and Andy went back to Alex’s desk.  Andy packed up his things, grabbed the garment bag from Bull’s office and went to wash his hands and face so they could head to the theater.

Andy found Benny and Chunk in the former’s office.  He said his goodbyes and once again thanked Chunk for the clothes.  Benny promised a trip to the courthouse next time Andy came to visit.  With quick hugs to both of them Andy went to find Bull.

He found the head of TAC in his office, packing up his own things to head out for the weekend.

“You ready to leave?” Bull asked as he set his own backpack on one of the side chairs. 

“Yep,” “Andy announced with a huge grin.  He crossed the room and gave Bull another big hug.  Bull returned the hug and pressed a kiss to the top of Andy’s head before smoothing down his curls a little.

Alex came in and said goodbye to his boss too with a big grin and a whispered “thank you.”

“You two have fun,” Bull called after the pair as they headed for the elevator. He took a step out into the bullpen to stand next to Marissa who was leaning on Alex’s desk. 

Boundaries be damned he thought to himself as he threw his arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple.

“Now we’re even,” he whispered as she chuckled a little.                                                                                                                                             

*****

It was all Alex could do to keep Andy from jumping out of Bull’s car and running through the crowd in front of the Richard Rodgers Theatre.  As he shut the car door he took Andy’s hand firmly and moved him out of the way of the crowd, standing next to a large Hamilton poster.  He took a few pictures of Andy and they took a selfie with the marquee in the background to send to their mother and to Bull. 

Alex knelt down to look his brother in the eye.  “Buddy, I know you are excited but I need you to stay next to me.  This place is full of people just as excited as you and I don’t want to lose you.  You know what to do if we do get separated right?”

“Find an usher and I have your cell number in my pocket.”

“Good,” Alex said as he straightened the boy’s Captain America tie.  Taking Andy into large crowds was always a bit nerve-wracking for him. Andy got easily distracted and had a tendency to follow anything that caught his attention.  He’d gotten better as he got older but the more excited he was, the more Alex worried, hence the piece of paper with his cell number on it stuck in Andy’s shirt pocket.

They went inside and found the correct door which would take them to their seats. They used the bathroom and stopped by the souvenir booth as Bull had told Alex to use the company card to get something for Andy.  The line was long, giving Andy enough time to decide on a baseball hat.

They settled into their seats in the center of the 8th row.  Andy tucked his feet under him, so he could get a better view. As the house lights went down and the stage lights came up, Andy grabbed Alex’s hand and held on tight as the orchestra started playing and Aaron Burr started singing---

 

 _How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a_ __  
Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten  
Spot in the Caribbean by Providence, impoverished, in squalor  
Grow up to be a hero and a scholar?

With tears in his eye Alex stole a glance at his brother.  The words of his mom and Bull echoed in his head---your father is proud of both of you.


End file.
